Beech F33A accident near Delaplane, Virginia, June 10, 1998
On June 10, 1998 at about 11:40 pm local time, a Beech F33A, registered N6033U, was destroyed in an accident near Delaplane, Virginia. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate in-flight decision which led to VFR flight into instrument meteorological conditions. Also causal was the pilot's failure to maintain adequate terrain clearance resulting in collision with mountainous terrain. Contributing factors were low clouds, fog, mountainous terrain, obscuration, low altitude flying and the pilot's self-induced pressure.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 10, 1998 · about 11:40 pm local time
- Place
- Delaplane, Virginia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Beech F33A · all F33As on the register
- Registration
- N6033U · no longer on the register · serial CE-849
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot and pilot rated passenger (PRP) were en route to Frederick (FDK), Maryland, when the airplane collided with mountainous terrain 40 miles from the destination. Several witnesses near the crash site heard an airplane overfly their homes at a low altitude. They reported that the engine was operating as it flew overhead, then they heard the engine stop followed by a 'thud.' According to the witnesses, it was cloudy, and the fog had covered the tops of the 50 foot tall trees. The flight followed the successful completion of a visual flight rules (VFR) cross country flying event. According to the Chairperson of the U.S. Air Race, Inc., the event organizers terminated the daylight and VFR-only event early because weather conditions did not appear to permit a VFR flight to FDK. Several VFR aircraft landed short of FDK and drove the remaining distance. According to Air Traffic Control records the pilot did not file a flight plan. An Air Traffic Controller said, '...Aircraft were canceling their [instrument flight rules] IFR either after landing or short final which caused other inbounds to hold or get delaying vectors.'. AIRMET SIERRA update number 5 issued at 1545, and was current for mountain obscuration and IFR ceilings and visibility's over the accident location. The weather at FDK was IFR and instrument approaches were in use. Examination of the airplane and engine did not disclose any evidence of mechanical malfunction.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 2,800 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,600 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 20, 1998; 50 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-BB (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: UKF North Wilkesbor NC at 10:00 pm
- Destination: FDK Frederick MD
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 4 knots
- Visibility: 1.8 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:51 pm from IAD, 21 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.